I will be purchasing my first large format printer (first color printer purchase in fact) and have narrowed down the choice to the Canon iPF5000. Iím looking at last minute details before making the plunge, especially since Iím a new to printing photography images. A last minute detail was making cost evaluations on different print sizes: ink usage and paper. This led me to look into ICC Profiles for Moab paper, Epson, and Crane. I noticed that Moab paper had no ICC Profile for the iPF5000, while Crane did and for (I assume obvious reasons) Epson did not either. SoÖÖ

What ICC Profiles come with the iPF5000? Iím not asking for someone to type out the entire list but is it an extensive list for quality paper on the market?

Is support for ICC Profiles form paper manufacturers slow for ďnewĒ printers in general? Is it just a matter of time for the ICC Profiles to become available?

Limited understanding/knowledge but from what Iíve read you can get profiles that have been made by other people or companies? How is it determined that a company/person is providing a quality ICC Profile for someone like me who is just starting out with the printing process?

I have not looked at other paper companies and any recommendations would be helpful there too.

I appreciate your time and comments, especially if I have missed posted messages on this topic. Thank you.

Keith, ICC profiles that "come" with the printer are typically for the manufacturer's own papers only. In this case, this means Canon papers. Canon doesn't provide ICC profiles for anybody else's papers, although they have taken some other manufacturers papers and rebranded them with the Canon label, in which case they do have profiles for these.

Whether or not ICC profiles are provided by the paper manufacturer for a specific printer depends a lot on the company. And the quality of the profiles themselves can vary quite a bit, depending on the care with which they are created and the equipment used. If you find yourself printing a lot on a favorite paper, consider having a custom profile made for best results.

Keith, ICC profiles that "come" with the printer are typically for the manufacturer's own papers only. In this case, this means Canon papers. Canon doesn't provide ICC profiles for anybody else's papers, although they have taken some other manufacturers papers and rebranded them with the Canon label, in which case they do have profiles for these.

Whether or not ICC profiles are provided by the paper manufacturer for a specific printer depends a lot on the company. And the quality of the profiles themselves can vary quite a bit, depending on the care with which they are created and the equipment used. If you find yourself printing a lot on a favorite paper, consider having a custom profile made for best results.

There is also some evidence (though scant) that the Canon IPF5000 may have somewhat more unit-to-unit variation, which would make custom profiles more important for optimal results. At $25 for a custom profile (Inkjetart.com) or $40 (Booksmart studio, they have made many generic profiles for IPF5000 which are free), we aren't talking a lot of money for one or two favorite papers. If you haven't seen the IPF5000 Wiki, check here:

There is also some evidence (though scant) that the Canon IPF5000 may have somewhat more unit-to-unit variation, which would make custom profiles more important for optimal results. At $25 for a custom profile (Inkjetart.com) or $40 (Booksmart studio, they have made many generic profiles for IPF5000 which are free), we aren't talking a lot of money for one or two favorite papers. If you haven't seen the IPF5000 Wiki, check here:

Thanks for the info, especially for the link to the IPF5000 Wiki!!! I'd read posts with refrence to the Wiki but was at loss to the term "wiki". I figured I'd research that later in the day while I continued to read posts. Again, thanks for the valuable information!

One wrinkle is that some available profiles are for use with the print driver, and some are for the plug-in. You have to be sure that what you're downloading fits your workflow. Canon's built-in profiles are for use with the print driver, and I find that unfortunate, since the plug-in seems to be the preferred method among the users that post here. I'm sure they chose to supply the print driver profiles first, since people are used to printing from Photoshop through Print Preview.

I e-mailed Moab in late November about their lack of iPF5000 profiles, and they replied a couple of weeks later saying they'll have some sometime soon.

In the meantime, so that my media choice wouldn't be limited to those for which profiles were available from someone else, I bought PrintFix Pro, and I've been happy with the results. I can tweak the profile if I want. I'm learning to take control of the image from beginning to end. However, this was a cost I hadn't counted on.

One wrinkle is that some available profiles are for use with the print driver, and some are for the plug-in. You have to be sure that what you're downloading fits your workflow. Canon's built-in profiles are for use with the print driver, and I find that unfortunate, since the plug-in seems to be the preferred method among the users that post here.† I'm sure they chose to supply the print driver profiles first, since people are used to printing from Photoshop through Print Preview.

I e-mailed Moab in late November about their lack of iPF5000 profiles, and they replied a couple of weeks later saying they'll have some sometime soon.

In the meantime, so that my media choice wouldn't be limited to those for which profiles were available from someone else, I bought PrintFix Pro, and I've been happy with the results. I can tweak the profile if I want. I'm learning to take control of the image from beginning to end. However, this was a cost I hadn't counted on.

Thank you for your response and pointing out the difference between the two items, printer driver and plug-in. The more I've looked into the purchase of the iPF5000 the more I've come to discover the apperant "extras" that help improve the photography prints. I've been looking into the Gretagmacbeth Eye-One Photo but thats an additional $1500.00 on top of the printer. One step at a time, first the printer and the learning curve and then the calibration tools and that learning curve. Again, thanks for the information.

Thank you for your response and pointing out the difference between the two items, driver and profile. The more I've looked into the purchase of the iPF5000 the more I've come to discover the apperant "extras" that help improve the photography prints. I've been looking into the Gretagmacbeth Eye-One Photo but thats an additional $1500.00 on top of the printer. One step at a time, first the printer and the learning curve and then the calibration tools and that learning curve. Again, thanks for the information.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=95899\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I'm using the eye-one photo to calibrate my papers for both the driver and plug-in.... it does work great. The auto default in the plug-in works fairly well. Certainly well enough if your not as anal as i am...

You'll lover the printer is has fanastic output, once your thru the learning curve.

Where are canon paper profiles? I see the ones that come standard with the printer, but those are VERY few. Canon has a lot of papers out there, and several that I would like to try, but none that I currently have (such as the semi-gloss). Isn't it a little funny that canon wouldn't at least give you generic profiles for their own papers? Epson did a decent job in the past.

I e-mailed Moab in late November about their lack of iPF5000 profiles, and they replied a couple of weeks later saying they'll have some sometime soon.

[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=95877\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Two comments.

1. The "official" Crane profile for Museo is very conservative. I tried it this weekend and it resulted in a posterized image. The booksmart, on the other hand gave me great results. I compared the profiles and the Booksmart is significantly wider in gamut than the official one. So far I am getting very good results with their profiles, and I'll certainly consider them to create my own custom profiles.

2. I suggest we keep "bothering" Moab until they publish the profiles. I also asked over the weekend for profiles, and have received no response yet.

Thanks JBillings for the information on the Eye-One Photo, I currently use the Monaco OPTIX XR for my monitor calibration so that is why I turned to the same company for other products for my new ventureÖÖ

Bill J and dmg, I too have e-mailed Moab asking about profiles for the Canon iPF5000 and have heard nothing from them. I suppose Iíll be testing out the iPF5000 on Canon, Ilford, Premier, and down the road Crane Co. paper

Now that Iíve decided on purchasing the iPF5000 the question in my head is: Where should I purchase the printer? Iíve seen some good deals on the web and have always had the confidence to purchase from B&H Video however there have been a few places on line that over a bit better deal but Iím not familiar with the other companies. Iíve come across the following:

Colorhq.com

Proimagingsupplies.com

Itsupplies.com

I understand the adage, ďYou get what you pay for!Ē So, Iím looking for a good price from a reputable company. Any information would be great on these from personal experience. Again, thank you for your time.

I got mine from ColorHQ. I talked to Brian Schoff - ext. 2110. He was willing to talk to me for quite a while, answer questions, make suggestions. He didn't mind at all that I was new to this size printer.

About a week after I received it, another fellow from ColorHQ, Bob Miller, called to make sure I got it set up OK and that everything was working. I appreciated that.

Thank you for all of your information. Its good to know that more companies will be offering profiling services for the iPF5000 (while I hold off on the purchase of the Eye-One Photo). Its nice to see that a company is willing to take time with its potential customers and then follows up with them after the sale. I plan on ordering the printer by the end of the month; this should give me enough time to re-arrange my office and get a dedicated desk for the printer. Again, thanks for all the responses so far.

Another vote for Color HQ. I place my order via the web and had a phonecall from them in about 20 minutes just confirming everything and making sure I understood how big and heavy this unit was. The were very helpful and have called me again since to check on everything. I've been very impressed with their committment to getting their customer service right.

In one of our discussions the topic of the mediocre documentation came up and they immediately offered to help in any way they could. I sent them the link to the Wiki John has put up which will help too.

Their rebate deal is still on which make this a very competitive price too. Full marks.

I too wrote to MOAB for profile information, last week, and unlike most people I did get a response. They don't have an iPF5000 so can not generate profiles. I offered to work with them to creat some profiles but they declined saying they needed their own perinter but that they would reconsider the purchase of a 5000. I guess the more people that write them the more likely they are to spring for the printer.

In the mean time I have sent targets into Eric at Booksmart Studio for all of the Moab papers except Gloss and Semi-Gloss. Eric will add these to his ever increasing inventory of iPF5000 canned profiles. Eric has a nice inventory of canned profiles for the iPF5000 and is providing a great service to all of us owners.

If any member of this forum owning an expensive printer wants a free profile for some reason, they are welcome to contact me - I'll do one free profile per person. I hope this will get more people to realize the benefits of custom profiling. However, obviously, these will not be canned profiles, they describe the printer used, and I will forbid redistribution - used on a different printer they will do more harm than good.

I too wrote to MOAB for profile information, last week, and unlike most people I did get a response. They don't have an iPF5000 so can not generate profiles. I offered to work with them to creat some profiles but they declined saying they needed their own perinter but that they would reconsider the purchase of a 5000. I guess the more people that write them the more likely they are to spring for the printer.

In the mean time I have sent targets into Eric at Booksmart Studio for all of the Moab papers except Gloss and Semi-Gloss. Eric will add these to his ever increasing inventory of iPF5000 canned profiles. Eric has a nice inventory of canned profiles for the iPF5000 and is providing a great service to all of us owners.

Roger

P.S., I think I'll go buy some paper from Eric right now.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=96014\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

As Iím still learning (thanks in part to all who have posted) my questions may seem basic but: Are the targets you sent to Booksmart Studio for them to create ICC Profiles or did you send them ICC Profiles?You mentioned that Booksmart Studio has ďcanned profilesĒ are those driver or plug-in? Thanks for any input.